


The Bruiser

by CharbroilLaFlamme



Series: A Way Out: Fragments of Story [8]
Category: A Way Out (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, Mild Blood, Mild Spoilers, Near Death Experience, Non-Graphic Violence, Prison, Strangulation, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 17:52:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15200225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharbroilLaFlamme/pseuds/CharbroilLaFlamme
Summary: Leo meets his new friend.





	The Bruiser

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer!:  
> This is headcanon! So it may or may not relate to canon!

Leo had met Dragomir about four or five months into his sentence.

The man had been freshly incarcerated. Arriving in chains like some kind of animal.

A mountain of man, muscle, and sinew. With many scars—big and small—etching and decorating his face.

He looked at Leo with something he could only describe as ferocity. And some sort of familiarity.

And he was _huge_ —with the dainty step of a water buffalo.

Leo was certain this man was half-bear.

It wasn’t too long before he’d begun to target and harass Leo.

He’d taken to cornering him in the yard with a few other smaller guys tailing him like ducklings.

Leo had been minding his own knitting, up until the point when school bully Dragomir showed his ugly mug.

“You, _Caruso_.” Said a voice with about as much charm as nails on a chalkboard.

“What do you want?” Leo said, with his usual, casually hostile inflection.

“Mind yer mouth around Dragomir, _meat_.” One of the ducklings said, pounding his fist in his hand. “He wants’ta _talk_ to you.”

“‘Scuse me?” Leo said, then looked up a bit more to see the bearded mountain-man.

Fred’s info said he was an immigrant from Serbia, full name—Dragomir Vlahović.

In for undisclosed charges. But surely at least _one_ of those charges was murder.

“Seems like you’re still alive, Caruso.” The man called Dragomir let out an inhuman half-cough, half-laugh. “Harvey wants some loose ends tied. He expected them to tie themselves, but apparently you’re still breathing—and Harvey can’t have that.”

“Well, you know what? Harvey can fuck himself.” Leo said, standing up to get in Dragomir’s face. “When I get out of here—“

“ _If_ you get out of here,” he seized Leo’s prison-issue grey tee shirt in his fist. “Mark my words, Caruso, Harvey _will_ get his due.” His english was surprisingly well spoken, and he had the look of a well-read man. “Harvey _always_ gets his due.”

“Not this time, _prick_.” Leo snapped. “Harvey better watch his back.”

“Then you’d better watch your _family_ , Caruso.”

“You’re going _there_?” Leo said venomously. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You tell your boss I’ll break his neck, he gets near my family.”

“Then just curl up and _die_.” He released Leo’s shirt, shoving him back. “I’m paid to make sure you don’t crawl back.”

“ _Son of a bitch._ ” Leo swore, stumbling against the bleachers. “Harvey’s one _desperate_ motherfucker, isn’t he? Figures he’d send one of his boyfriends in to clean up _his_ mess.”

Dragomir socked him in the mouth, and started to brace him against the bleachers with his full body weight, wrapping his rough, weathered hands around his neck. “We’ll see whose neck gets broken, Caruso.”

Leo grimaced, recovering briefly after Dragomir’s strike, trying to kick him off and pry away his hands—but his grip only grew tighter, thumbs pressing dangerously hard into his trachea. “ _I’m... gonna... kill you._ ” Leo choked out, each word became quieter than the last. More strained. Until he no longer had free use of his own voice.

”Don’t waste your breath.”

Then Leo started to black out.

But as fortune would have it, he heard whistles in the air, and running shoe-steps.

_Guards. Oh, sweet Jesus. Thank you._

Leo had never been so happy to hear the guards come running.

Dragomir paused, glanced back at the commotion, and released him. Stepping back, he laughed. “See you around, Caruso.”

The man had clearly only been giving Leo a taste of what was to come.

Like a cat playing with a mouse.

But given the chance, he probably would have offed Leo right then.

Dragomir proceeded to backpedal with his little gang following. “Harvey will have your blood.”

Leo touched his neck, catching his breath. “Fuck you, Dragomir.” He said hoarsely, wiping a little blood off his lip. “Harvey ain’t getting _shit_ from me. I can promise you this.”

“We’ll see.”

**Author's Note:**

> Notes!:
> 
> — Dragomir is intelligent, and well read, but finds being the “dumb muscle” is more fulfilling.
> 
> — Dragomir purposefully began to gather a following, knowing Leo was dangerous and he would need to be restrained at some point, cue the Leo and Vincent fight sequence. If Vincent had not shown up, Leo would likely have been publically, and brutally, murdered.


End file.
